Lando Norris' friendship with Max Verstappen appears to be reaching a breaking point amid their recent clashes on track, in the standings, and through media remarks.
"It's hard to maintain friendships if you're really fighting for the championship and for positions, as they are," former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher told formel1.de.
"They didn't fly together to the last races, as was usually the case," Schumacher noted. "I'm not even sure whether the friendship still really exists."
While many praised Verstappen's win from P17 on the grid in Brazil as a decisive moment in the 2024 drivers' championship, Norris initially downplayed the achievement, calling it more about "luck" than "talent."
Dutch racing legend Tom Coronel disagreed, telling De Telegraaf: "That was really not luck, but a strategic choice that involved a risk that worked out well."
Ziggo Sport commentator Olav Mol went further, criticizing Norris' dismissive comments: "Shame on you.
"I found that sentence vile and not ok," Mol added. "That it had nothing to do with luck but was pure luck. I find that really sad.
"You should not say that after such a performance. I mean, Norris started from pole position, and where did he finish? The only answer I can give is that that was not talent.
"He has never finished lower from pole position, so he has no right to say what he said. You shouldn't dismiss Max like that, or anyone else for that matter."
